Pact signed to sustain agrarian reform projects

By Julianne Suarez on June 7, 2019

Government agencies have collaborated to find ways to sustain the implementation of key agrarian reform projects.

At the Kapihan sa PIA Thursday, Eduardo Suaybaguio, Department of Agrarian Reform – Mindanao Sustainable Agrarian and Agriculture Development (MinSAAD) Regional Project Management Office project manager, said that the MinSAAD and the regional office of the Department of Trade and Industry signed a memorandum of understanding .

“We will be ending our (MinSAA) projects by 2019 and we are looking at the sustainability of our projects,” said Suaybagiuo as he pointed out that the P4.4 billion project supports poverty alleviation, employment generation, agribusiness development, and food security which will close in July 2019.

According to the MOU, the parties shall continue “needs assessments, assistance and support for MinSAAD beneficiaries, specifically Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations (ARBOs) supported by the MinSAAD Project during its project implementation phase, from 2019 and beyond.”

However, there is no commitment for funding from the agencies concerned.

“When funding is needed by either party to pursue assistance of identified ARBOs, then the expectation is that the funding may be pursued by one party with the endorsement and support of the other,” the MOU said.

The DTI X will support the beneficiaries based on the criteria and requirements on programs and projects appropriate for them including ACE-Pro, Regular CARP Initiatives, RAPID-Growth and other DTI programs.

While the DAR XI will ensure that ARBO will be able to submit the needed organizational/technical requirements and other documentation to be eligible to DTI XI’s identified program/projects.